Until We Meet Again
by Coeur-d'un-Epouvantail
Summary: Ib and Garry's promised reunion takes an unexpected turn for the worst with them both ending up in the hospital! Will there be a happy ending? Undeniably. (AHHHHH IT'S SO SLICE OF LIFEY I CAN'T HANDLE IT! DX This is my first time posting any of my work on FanFiction, I am so excited!)
1. Prologue

Everything felt all wrong. The voices, the lights…it all seemed to be happening far, far away…concealed behind a veil of fog. Everything was hazy, disconnected. Focusing on things one at a time was the only way to make sense of anything.

The first thing Ib noticed was an aching in her head, accompanied by the thunderous roar of her blood pounding in her ears. All other sound was muffled considerably, but she could faintly make out the voices of two men talking nearby.

"How's the girl?" One asked. "Disoriented. She's suffering from a minor concussion as well as a few scrapes and bruises, but nothing too serious." Two shook his head. "It's a miracle she made out as well as she did. The damage could have been much worse…" "And the boy?"

_Boy_? Ib thought groggily. _What boy_? All at once the images came flooding back to her. The pelting rain, the crowded street, the car that seemed to come out of nowhere, and…

Startled, Ib struggled to lift her head, but a wave of dizziness forced her back down. Sensing movement, Two rushed to her side. "Woah, easy! Just take it nice and slow." Scanning her surroundings anxiously, Ib felt chills of terror run down her spine. _Garry_, she thought desperately. _Where's Garry_?


	2. Chapter 1

It had been six months since Ib's first trip to the gallery. During that time Ib had scoured the neighbourhood for any sign of Garry, but the city they lived in was quite large and Ib didn't have a lot of information to go off of. That didn't discourage her from her search, however as she was quite resourceful and thought of roundabout solutions. She looked in directories and asked by word of mouth, even going so far as to ask in high schools posing as Garry's little sister.

When her parents caught wind of what she was up to they put a stop to the whole thing. They refused to believe the stories they heard about what happened in the gallery and chalked it up to the elaborate fantasies of a nine year old. Her mother was angry with her when she heard Ib had lost her handkerchief and saw Ib's tale as an excuse for her carelessness. Both she and Ib's father were convinced Ib had made Garry up as well, and Ib might have believed them had it not been for the yellow candy wrapper she had found in her pocket. She kept it in a safe place her parents wouldn't find, because they would toss it away as being nothing more than garbage. For Ib, however, it was a memory of her precious friend.

Life slowly returned to normal. Ib became a star pupil in school much to the relief of her mother who was glad she'd put all of that imaginary nonsense behind her. But Ib's greatest motivation for exceling in school was the hope that when she met Garry again he'd be impressed with how much she'd learned. And Ib did truly believe they'd meet again. They made a promise, after all.

The day of the accident began just like any other. Ib awoke early, got dressed, brushed her teeth, combed her hair-all of the usual primping involved in getting ready for the day. When she came downstairs the familiar sight of her father sitting at the kitchen table reading the morning newspaper while her mother made Ib's lunch at the counter. "Have a seat, Ib," her mother instructed curtly with her back turned. "We don't want you to be late."

Rushing forward to sit next to her father, Ib was pleased to see her favourite marmalade on toast waiting on the plate in front of her. Seeing her glowing expression, her father winked playfully at her from over his newspaper before returning to the morning report.

"Ib, what would you like to drink?" came her mother's voice from over her shoulder. Ib eyed the white tea kettle with pink roses circling the base resting on the counter, her mother's favourite. "I think I'd like some tea, please."

All attention was given to Ib. Her mother turned to face her for the first time that morning, while her father lowered his newspaper to reveal a small frown. "Are you sure, sweetheart?" He asked. "That tea is awfully bitter." "Mmhmm," Ib responded vaguely, her eyes focused on the second cup and saucer set being brought out of the cupboard. She seemed to recall Garry saying he liked tea when they last met.

Setting her cup down in front of her, Ib's mother cautioned: "Careful, it's hot." Inching the saucer closer towards her Ib was pleased to see that it had a very pleasant scent that made her feel very calm. _No wonder Garry likes tea_, Ib thought, stifling a giggle. _He's always so nervous_…

Picking up the tea cup gingerly by the handle, Ib was disappointed to learn that the tea was quite overpowering. In fact, it didn't taste very good at all. Her disappointment must have shown on her face because her father breathed a quiet sigh of relief while her mother frowned deeply. Turning on her heel in a businesslike fashion, she said icily: "Don't waste it." Pausing for a moment, she added: "You should bring your umbrella to school today. The forecast said it might rain." Ib sipped her tea unhappy until finally it was all gone. Her father leaned over to her and whispered, "Don't try to grow up too fast."

It rained all day, just as the forecast predicted. Things were rather slow in school, and everyone seemed to be bogged down by the weather. Even Ib was less cheerful than usual. She spent the day staring out the window, watching the rain roll down the window pane. She was quiet on the bus ride home as well, wandering about in her own thoughts until quite suddenly one quick glimpse out the window pulled her back to reality.

"Stop the bus!" She cried, racing to the front. Murmurs spread like a tidal wave along the aisles. The bus driver gaped at her wonderingly. "This isn't like you, Ib," he said, scratching his head with one hand. "Please!" She begged desperately, knowing that every moment took them further and further away. "It's very important!" "Weeeeell, alright," the bus driver said reluctantly, bringing the bus to a stop. As soon as the doors opened Ib took off at a mad dash, ignoring the curious faces of her school mates squashed against the glass.

Ib ran as fast as her feet would carry her, fighting frantically against the flow of pedestrians. She weaved between them, zig-zagging this way and that until she caught a glimpse of purple hair. Bouncing on her toes, she saw a brief flash of a tattered blue overcoat. "Garry!" she called, struggling to catch up to him. "Garry, it's me, Ib!"

"Hm?" Garry stopped in his tracks, thinking he had heard someone call his name. Glancing around, he saw something that made his blood run cold. A little girl was fighting her way over to him on the sidewalk when all of a sudden she lost her balance at the edge of the curb and started falling towards the road. Everything started happening in slow motion. The blare of a car horn accompanied by a bright light and the sound of squealing tires. The frightened face of the little girl, sprawled defenceless directly in the line of fire. Garry's stomach lurched violently as she turned to face him. That was…

"IB!" Garry cried, eyes widening with fear. Dashing out onto the road, Garry wrapped his arms tightly around Ib, bringing her in close to his chest just before feeling his body make contact with the car. The blow heavily winded him, and when he opened his eyes he saw that they had been knocked back a couple of feet. He could hear screams from the sidewalk, but his head was too muddled to make out what any of them were saying. His only concern was the girl he held in his arms.

"Ib?" he called softly, pushing away a few wet strands of hair that were plastered to her forehead. Relief washed over him when her eyes fluttered feebly open. "Thank goodness," Garry breathed. "You okay? Please be more careful! You really worried me, you know?"

Garry's heart sank when he noticed that Ib was completely expressionless, her eyes clouded. He kept talking to keep himself calm. "To be honest, I almost didn't recognize you. You've really grown a lot!" Garry winced as he noticed he wasn't quite injury free. Grimacing, he continued. "I really wish our reunion could've been under…better circumstances…"

Garry lost consciousness just as the paramedics arrived on the scene. Ib continued staring blankly ahead. Her world seemed to shift tirelessly before her eyes, and the shrill ringing in her ears kept her from making sense of anything. She remembered vaguely that someone had been trying to speak to her just now. They had had a nice smile. It was so warm…like sunlight. But it seemed sad. She wondered why…everything felt all wrong.


	3. Chapter 2

Ib awoke in a hospital bed. She could tell it was a hospital right away, even though she'd never been in one because it had a strong antiseptic smell and seemed to be coloured entirely in white. As the feeling returned to her body, she became aware of a pleasant warm pressure encircling her right hand.

"Garry?" she asked softly, her voice a bit weaker than usual. But when she turned her head she saw that the person holding her hand was not Garry but her father. He had his face resting on the edge of her bed and had obviously been sleeping. "Mmm," he mumbled incoherently as he started to wake up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes with his free hand.

Once he was awake enough to notice Ib watching him calmly he nearly jumped out of his chair. "Ib! Oh, thank goodness you're awake! We were so worried…" _Thank goodness…you really worried me, you know?_ Ib felt warm tears well up in her eyes as she remembered how concerned Garry was for her and how she had been unable to reassure him. Mistaking her tears for fear or pain Ib's father tried to comfort her. "Shh, oh honey it's alright. It's all-" "Garry," Ib said, cutting him off. "Where's-" Seeing her father's eyebrows knit together she changed her wording. "-the boy who saved me?"

Ib's father relaxed considerably. "Just down the hall in room 317." Ib made an effort to get up but her father only eased her back down into bed. "Where do you think you're going young lady?" He asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. "There'll be plenty of time to thank him later, but first we have to have the doctor take a look at you. Your mother has been awfully worried too. She's just out taking a call."

The minutes seemed to crawl by. Ib answered question after question, went through a check-up, even had to sit through her mother's intense lecturing. "What were you thinking! Getting off at the wrong stop like that, chasing after strangers-honestly! I thought we raised you better than that!" Her dad reassured her in hushed tones. "That just shows you how much she cares about you."

When the doctor told them at last that Ib was free to go, she could hardly contain herself from bolting down the hallway at top speed. Her mother sighed. "I think it's about time we checked in on Ib's rescuer." Mortified, Ib turned to her parents and requested than she see him alone. Releasing a soft huff from her perfectly painted lips Ib's mother consented with the exception that they come in to thank him personally after a minute or two. After she left them she heard her mother say, "Perhaps she's a little **too** independent."

Resisting the urge to sprint full speed down the hallway, Ib walked as fast as she possibly could fully aware that her mother was watching her and there was nothing she hated more than bad manners. As soon as Ib entered Garry's room she practically flew to his side. "Garry!" she cried, tears welling up in her eyes again at the sight of his leg in a cast and his head wrapped in bandages. "Ib!" he chorused brightly. "You had me worried there. I tried to come visit you myself but the staff wouldn't let me, can you believe it? I mean it's just a broken leg…" Ib frowned unhappily, sniffing as more tears welled up in her eyes. It was her fault Garry had gotten hurt in the first place. "It's okay Ib! I'm okay, really!" Looking up at him with watery eyes, her gaze shifted towards his bandages. "What, this?" He said, motioning to his head. "Just a scratch! Not even a very deep one, but they bandaged it just in case."

A little smile played at the corner of her lips as Garry attempted to cheer her up. Ib wanted to wrap him up in a big hug but was afraid that that might only hurt him more. Seeing her dance indecisively on her toes, Garry chuckled and pulled her into a hug himself. "I'm so happy you're okay, Ib," he murmured to her as he patted her head gently. "Hic!" was all Ib could reply because the tears were freely rolling down her cheeks now, keeping her from making any audible sound.

The duo didn't have very long to socialize before Ib's parents entered to thank Garry personally for what he had done, although in truth it turned into more of an interrogation. Ib's mother fired off a barrage of questions, such as: "What's your name, young man?" "How old are you?" "Where do you go to school?" "How many people are in your family?" "Do you have any siblings?" "What do your parents do?"

Garry answered as best he could, although it was easy to see he was a little overwhelmed. When he told her his name was Garry Ib's mother didn't even bat an eye, although her father appeared to be a little uncomfortable. Garry didn't seem to notice the affect it had on him. "I just turned seventeen, and I'm actually living on my own right now." "Is that so…"

The interrogation continued for a few more minutes before one kindly nurse took pity on Garry and shooed the family away. Ib was reluctant to leave Garry after she'd found him again after all this time but resolved to visit him the next day no matter what. Only Garry wasn't at the hospital the next day. He had been released after going through a few more tests. Much to Ib's good fortune, however, the kindly nurse from the day before was on the floor again. Under the pretense that she was going to send him flowers, Ib asked the nurse what Garry's home address was. At first the nurse refused to tell her, saying it went against the hospital's confidentiality policy. Ib wasn't quite sure what that meant, but before too long the nurse gave in and wrote the address on a memo pad which she handed to Ib. "This'll be our little secret," she said slyly, winking at her from over the counter.

Ib was practically skipping out of the hospital. Now she could she Garry anytime! Clutching the note to her chest, she turned towards home, a plan already coming to mind.


	4. Chapter 3

The very next day Ib showed up outside Garry's apartment with a bulging knapsack. Ringing the buzzer with his name on it, she didn't have to wait very long before his voice sang out over the intercom. "H-hello?" he called out uncertainly. It didn't sound like he received very many visitors. "Garry, it's me Ib! I came to see you!"

"Ib!?" Now Garry sounded downright incredulous. "Hold on a minute, I'll be right down. Sure enough, not long afterwards his silhouette appeared in the doorway. "Ib, what are you doing here? Did you come here all by yourself?"

"Mmhmm!" Ib gestured to her knapsack. "I brought you something! I thought I'd make you soup to help you get better." She looked at his cast and crutches sympathetically. "I'm not quite sure that works for broken bones…" Garry rationalized, but stopped himself upon seeing Ib's crestfallen face. "But I'm sure it will taste great!"

Ib could hardly contain her excitement as they rode the elevator up to Garry's floor. She wanted to hear about everything he'd been up to, and told her all about what she'd been doing too. Garry was impressed when he heard she'd been doing so well in school, and glad that she'd been getting along with her classmates. Ib surprised herself when she asked Garry if he had a girlfriend. He seemed startled at first, but then chuckled and said no which made Ib feel strangely relieved.

Garry's apartment was bright and open with windows Ib imagined let in a lot of light on a sunny day (it was cloudy out, so Ib was supposing.) The first thing Ib noticed was a guitar propped up on the far wall. "Ooh!" Ib gasped. "You can go take a look if you'd like," Garry said kindly, noticing her interest. Placing her shoes neatly out of the way, she happily did just that.

Ib had never played an instrument before, although she really enjoyed listening to classical music. Moving her fingers tentatively across the strings she enjoyed the crisp, clean sound they produced. Trailing her hand over the smooth wooden surface of the guitar, a flash of colour caught her eye. "Oh, this is…"

"Ah!" Garry blushed scarlet as Ib traced her finger along the red rose stencil. She wondered why he hadn't done a blue rose instead, since that had been the colour of his own rose. But for some reason it made her happy. "It's very pretty," Ib breathed, smiling shyly. Garry cleared his throat. "S-so, what do you say we get started on making that soup?"

It didn't take long before they had a nice broth bubbling and a pleasant smell wafting through the apartment. Ib added ingredients bit by bit (she had brought a variety since she didn't know what the soup Garry liked best) and although Garry offered to be of more help, Ib insisted she do the brunt of the work herself. "Just be careful, okay?"

When it came time to cut up the carrots and onions they divided the task between them. Garry showed Ib how to peel the carrots and then set to work chopping up the onions himself. Ib was very careful cutting up the carrots, but nevertheless she accidentally cut the end of her finger. "Oh!" A tiny drop of blood began pooling at the end of her finger, so she stuck it in her mouth to stop the blood.

"Oh no, Ib!" Garry exclaimed, hobbling off on his crutches to find his first aid kit. "Band-aids…band-aids…" he mumbled as he was rummaging. "Aha! Here they are." Taking Ib's hand in his own Garry gently doctored her finger before giving it a little kiss. "All better," he said bashfully.

The soup turned out to be very good despite some improvisation on Ib's part. "You're quite the chef!" Garry remarked after he'd had a few spoonfuls. "You're going to make someone very happy someday." Ib tilted her head quizzically at him. "What do you mean?" Garry froze. "Er, ah, nothing."

Outside the sky turned darker and before long rain could be heard beating against the window pane. "Rain again?" Garry remarked as he cleared off the table. Casting a glance over at the clock, he frowned. "What time was your mom expecting you home, Ib?" Not that I really want to send her home in this deluge, he thought. "I told her I was spending the night at a friend's," Ib replied. "Ah, I see." Pausing for just a moment, Ib added: "Is that okay?"

"Is what okay?" Garry asked wonderingly as he made his way over to the sink. "Me spending the night with you." Garry nearly dropped the dishes he was carrying. "You meant here!?" he asked incredulously. Ib bit her lip, looking down at her hands. "Is that…not okay?" Garry sighed. "As happy as I am that you came to see me Ib, spending the night just wouldn't be a good idea. I mean, I am a guy after all…and we would be all by ourselves."

Ib looked puzzled. "We were by ourselves at the gallery for a while." "That's not what I meant." A moment passed between them in silence as Garry tried to figure out how he'd explain it to her. After a few fumbling attempts he settled with: "It's just a bad idea! You wouldn't usually hang out with other guys by yourself, right?" Ib shook her head solemnly. "Nope! Garry's the only one." At this Garry was rendered speechless again. "Please?" Ib pleaded endearingly. Garry could feel his resolve wavering. "Oh, all right." "Yay!" Ib jumped up and threw her arms around Garry's neck, planting a kiss on his cheek.

They spent the evening quietly, but it was obvious they were happy just being together. After they had talked together for a little while Garry brought out some desserts and started boiling water to make tea. Remembering her encounter from the other day, Ib politely declined Garry's offer and asked for milk instead. Ib was surprised when Garry brought out a lemon slice and started squirting it into his cup. Seeing Ib's wide eyes, Garry chuckled and explained that you could add all sorts of flavours to teas to improve the flavour, like honey or lemon. Ib nodded slowly, resolving to try this trick for herself before giggling to herself.

"It's funny you like lemons so much, Garry," she remarked, eyeing his attempts to drain the lemon slice of every last drop of juice. "Hm? Why is that?" "Because lemons taste so sour, but you're so sweet!" She remarked innocently. Garry spluttered on his tea in surprise, flushing bright red. "I-is that so?"

"Hm?" Ib tilted her head to one side, examining Garry's face. "Garry, your face is red. Do you have a fever?" Leaning over, Ib used her hand to brush away their bangs and rested her forehead on Garry's as her mother had often done for her. "WAAAAUGH!"

Ib thought Garry was behaving in a very peculiar fashion when he excused himself to get napkins to clean up his spilt tea. "Oh r-right! I almost forgot." Reaching into his pocket he procured Ib's handkerchief. Frowning slightly, Garry confessed: "There is one spot I couldn't get clean…" Feeling the lace border with her thumb, Ib noticed the spot Garry mentioned. "It looks like a rose petal!" Ib remarked distractedly. Seeing as the mark didn't bother her, Garry smiled. "I thought so too."

As the storm raged on outside, Garry asked Ib if she'd like him to play music for her, to which she nodded enthusiastically. Garry's music was unlike any Ib had heard before. It was thoughtful and kind, and a little bit sad too. It was a very soothing sound, and Ib felt like she could go on listening to it forever. But before long her eyelids began to droop, and as she nestled into Garry she fell fast asleep. Giving her a loving smile, Garry leaned in and planted a kiss on her forehead, whispering: "Goodnight, Ib."


End file.
